


Firestorm

by 77thcross



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (let's be real--there will be zombies. some people will die), Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Character Death, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-06-02 02:50:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19432384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/77thcross/pseuds/77thcross
Summary: Draco Malfoy did NOT survive Noseless Tom’s Reign of Terror just to go gently into the night. Never mind the fact that years of enjoying zombie movies did not sufficiently prepare him to fight off the horde of uglies beating down his door. Since guns are a little harder to come by in the UK than one is led to believe, the cricket bat will have to do. Whose bright idea was it to merge science and necromancy!?Harry Potter has finally taken a well-deserved holiday. What better way to celebrate his 100th closed case than renting a house in a secluded island and leaving the stress of his job and the city behind? Too bad the Inferi’s half-breed cousins decided London was an all-you-can-eat buffet just before he left town.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I love zombies. I hope I can give justice to the genre. I have struggled with this bit for several days. But I decided to just bite the bullet and share it. I actually have not been writing for the better part of the last decade so please be gentle. CC is always appreciated.
> 
> Word of warning: This is a WIP. I cannot guarantee when the next update would be. But hopefully it won’t be me another decade to write something. =)
> 
> Disclaimers: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. own Harry Potter. I love George Romero’s movies, but they don’t belong to me either.

**Their Stories since That May Day**

“DRAKE!” More pounding on his door. “Open the fucking door!”

Not bloody likely, Draco thought, glaring at the young man on the other side of the mahogany. He glanced down to make sure the deadbolt and all three locks were engaged. He wished he could grab his wand and hex the arsehole shouting profanities at him (and his door), but that life was locked away in a box at the very back of his closet.

And the last thing this night needed was to cap off with a visit from the aurors.

He didn’t know what he did to deserve this. Will had seemed so _normal_ when they first met. Draco had been going about his business, shelving books at Hollowed Pages, when the attractive bloke with hazel eyes sidled up to him to ask if they had a copy of _Maurice._ Very obvious, but all right. It had been a while since his last pull. It was almost the end of his shift, and he had been tempted to send him to the fiction section and wait out the five minutes in the staff room, but Mitch the Snitch was eyeing him from the till. So he smiled at the customer and led him to the book himself. He went home thirty minutes after his shift, but with a date.

The next day Mitch had snipped at him that the bookstore was not a match making service. It wasn’t, but it certainly had benefits (the salary not even remotely one of them). The pay was a pittance, but they get free coffee, and employee discounts. Plus, Tracy, the manager, didn’t mind too much that Draco seemed a little slow in some of the simplest things (converting galleons to pounds took some time to get the hang of, okay? And don’t get him started on how long it took to master the coffee machine. Not to mention the nightmare that was the cash register).

In truth, she was convinced that Draco was 1) none too bright ( ~~undiagnosed~~ /unacknowledged learning disability), 2) and that he was raised an aristocratic snot, who for some reason was living in exile and without common sense so in her mind this was her version of community service. She includes him in her Sunday prayers.

Five years ago Draco would’ve happily hexed them and went on his merry way. But six years (let’s be honest, closer to seven when he was in fifth year) ago, he had not lived through the horrors of war. The Draco Malfoy who was released from a six-month stint in Azkaban was far from the Draco Malfoy who spouted blood purity and derided Muggles.

He practically was one now.

“COCKTEASE! OPEN THE DOOR!”

“Don’t think I won’t call the police, William! Fuck off!” He yelled, bracing his hands on the door to see if his date was doing what he so kindly suggested. Thump! Thump! Thump! The bloody cheek! He kicked the door one more time before raising his hands, middle fingers extended. He did it with so much force he seemed to be having a seizure.

_I can’t believe I missed movie night for this_. He shook his head as he moved to the living room. He poured himself some scotch from the sideboard and let the alcohol soothe the frazzled nerves tonight’s disaster of a date brought. His house in St. Albans was small by Malfoy standards. The two-bedroom duplex was quaint. Which was to say miniscule. But it served him well enough. When one lived alone, without even a pet fish to keep him company, one didn’t need more than the essentials. And while the vault his mother had relinquished to his name ensured he needn’t starve, it did not leave much room for a lavish lifestyle (baring the necessity of good alcohol, of course).

Not that society matrons were beating at his door for him to take his rightful place at balls and parties. Being the disowned homosexual of his line tended to eliminate him from the running as an eligible suitor for their precious daughters. He wasn’t the first homosexual in the Malfoy family, of course. Just the first one to be disowned after refusing to deny his sexuality. He was sure several of them had married a pureblooded witch to beget an heir despite their preference for cock. He was simply the first to refuse to do his “duty.”

The Malfoy heir had time to reassess his life. Six months in Azkaban gave you not only the opportunity to truly appreciate warmth and freedom, it also allowed for deep life introspection. And six months was more than adequate to realize that he did not like the person he was becoming. There was only so much blame he could lay on his parents’ indoctrination. As an adult, he needed to start thinking and living for himself. He wanted to be a better person.

And that mean being honest with his homosexuality.

His father had to serve more than six months. Those visits after his decision to be honest were far from heartwarming. Each word that had fallen from his father’s dry and cracked lips chilled him more than the time he spent in his cell.

His mother had done her best. She loved her husband. She loved her son. The last time she allowed her husband to dictate their family’s future, they had suffered under a hypocritical (a half-blood spouting blood purity, really) supremacist’s boot heels. She would not let her husband’s prejudice tear their family apart.

Bad enough wizardingkind spurned the Malfoys at every turn. Doors closed on their faces. Where before they had ruled society with their gold and standing, now they were pariahs. If Lucius was determined to make her son bend by withholding his birthright, she would give Draco what came to hers from the Blacks.

Someone knocked on his door. Draco contemplated the glass in his hand. _That better not be Will back, or I just might hex his bullocks off, hang the aurors_ , he thought. He stood with a sigh and walked toward the door. The upstairs neighbor was smirking from the other side.

“Loverboy’s gone, Drake. Let me in.”

Amy handed him a Tesco bag as she blew past him. “Wine and some crisps. I had a feeling I was going to be hearing about the date when I saw you guys leave. He looked like a right twat.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Did he really? I thought it was good until he drove me home.” The minute Will killed the engine he was on Draco like a perverted octopus. He was pawing his crotch while determining the presence of his tonsil with his tongue.

With familiarity from years of being in each other’s houses, she grabbed a couple of wine glasses from the cupboard and faced him. “Aww. Drakey. You’re very pretty, but you’re an arsehole magnet.” She opened the wine while contemplating what flavor would pair best with the rosé (none, not even the bbq flavored crisps Draco favored). They gathered their supplies and went to the living room.

While complicated machineries were still a little tricky for Draco, he had mastered TVs and DVD players. He had fallen in love with Muggle cinema and had amassed a considerable movie collection. These days, Amy’s penchant for horror movies has rubbed off him and they were in the middle of watching all of Romero’s classics.

“This is your punishment for blowing me off to go out with the twat. You know Fridays are reserved for Zs.” The zombies had given him pause when he first saw them. He had heard of whispers of His Noselessness’ army of inferi during the war. It still amazed him how Muggles get some things almost right, only to miss it completely. But it gave him comfort that a shot to the head or blunt force could stop these undead. He couldn’t imagine coming face to face with a group of inferi and coming out ahead. There was a reason he didn’t have a fireplace.

The petite redhead plopped onto the sofa and hit play. “Besides, the twat looked like zombie chow. You definitely want a badasss who’ll make sure you and your loved ones will make it in the apocalypse.”

Draco shrugged. True enough. Will seemed like the kind of prick who would throw Draco to the horde to buy himself time to get away. But something about Will’s hazel eyes made him say yes to dinner. And he had liked his messy dark hair. He might’ve enjoyed running his fingers through it, but not on the first date. And definitely not on the front seat of his Peugeot.

Onscreen, a car was winding its way on an empty road. “Forget about him and let Uncle George entertain you for the rest of the evening.”

+++++

“Tell me again, why are we here?” Harry turned to his best friend, who was trying to best to lose himself in his glass of firewhisky.

In front of them, a redhead was gyrating on a small stage to the beat of the music blaring around them. The lights were in synch to the bass, contributing to the migraine Harry felt brewing in his head. The ladies around them gave a raucous cheer as another item of clothing flew across the stage, landing on the head of a blonde Ravenclaw. Luna was enraptured watching her fiancée strip tease for her and fifteen of their closest friends.

Hermione whooped from next to Ron. “Way to go, Gin!”

Harry eyed the shot glasses littering their table. It might be time to cut Hermione off. Next to him, Ron was still trying to find the meaning of life in his firewhisky. He looked around, but found that the small club the couple had rented for their combined hen night was filled with an assortment of inebriated Quidditch players, aurors, and various Hogwarts cohorts.

In a booth further back, Dean was snogging Seamus. If their hand’s locations were any indication, they would soon move out of snogging territory to something that may require Harry to arrest them for public indecency.

Ginny’s friends from the Holyhead Harpies continued to cheer now that his ex-girlfriend started serenading Luna. Harry had to pretend he didn’t notice her skirt slipping lower. Despite the embarrassment (and confusion how he got there), he couldn’t help smiling.

This was a long way from the heartbroken wrecks they had been since the Battle at Hogwarts. For a time it had seemed that everyone was frozen, with no idea how to move forward in a world made poorer by lost loved ones.

It was also a world without Tom Riddle. That was not to say his defeat meant total eradication of prejudice. Years after and they were still in the midst of putting things to right.

But they were moving forward. The first few years had been a blur of grieving, keeping busy and healing. There were still Death Eaters on the run. Trials to attend. Hogwarts to rebuild. N.E.W.Ts. to take.

Several of them decided to finish their education. Hermione knew she needed further training if she wanted to be a healer. Harry, Ron and Neville joined the aurors. Only Harry ended up sticking with the training. Ron had quit to help George with the shop. Neville felt that Herbology was his true calling.

And Harry? He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do exactly. But he was good at catching dark wizards.

He didn’t think he would survive in the Forbidden Forest, and that next day after the battle had stomped him. What does one do with a future he did not think he would have?

Five years later and he still hasn’t got an answer. But he has learned a few things about himself since then. Not having to fear for your life on a yearly basis gave him the chance to realize his relationship with Ginny would have to remain platonic. They were friends, family even, but they just didn’t have the necessary equipment to satisfy each other sexually. They had a blast exploring Muggle gay clubs together though.

He looked around him. This wasn’t what he envisioned his future would look like when he was camping in the Forest of Dean. The music blasting through the speakers was too loud. The strobe lights were stabbings his eyes and he didn’t want to know what was making the floor so sticky.

He was sitting dateless in his friends’ party because Terry canceled on the last minute, claiming yet another work emergency that could not be put off. But his friends were alive and in love. He wasn’t stuck in a cupboard or pushing daisies from six feet under.

This wasn’t what he thought his future would look like. It was better.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: In the first draft, this story takes place SEVEN years after the war. So I had to go back and edit some things. Part of that is the bit about Draco and Amy watching the first part of Land of the Dead (the crew preparing in Dead Reckoning). The film came out in 2005, which would have necessitated an edit anyway since DVDs don’t come out right at the same time (or super soon) it’s released, but since I changed it to five years the film wouldn’t be out in theaters or DVDs in 2003. So if you were ones of the guys who read it before this update, and maybe noticed some tweaks on the first post, you’re not going crazy. =)
> 
> Disclaimers: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. own Harry Potter. I love George Romero’s movies, but they don’t belong to me either.

If he knew the world was going to end that week, Draco might have done some things differently.

For one thing, if he had any inkling just how fucked he and the world at large was going to be, he would have bought the blueberry cheesecake and to hell with the calories. If he had any idea how long he might have to wait until the next time he had sex, he might’ve given in to the brunette he was grinding against at the club last Saturday.

As it was, Wednesday started out like it usually did—with a muffled thump from the floor above. Like clockwork, Draco heard Amy’s daily struggle to part with her bed. The thumps and muffled cursing had worried him when he first moved in, but he eventually got used to it. They never got louder beyond the initial thump of her struggling out of bed anyway. He eventually incorporated it to his routine.

Alarm at seven-thirty. Start the Keurig. Wash his face and brush his teeth. At 7:45 Amy battles her bedsheets. Depending on his mood, he would either have bacon or sausage to go with his toast.

Except today he also set a box of Cornflakes next to his toast. Not that these would be consumed until later that morning. He silently made his way to the spare bedroom to check on his guest. The normally pristine room was littered with toys and the occasional sock.

He could see the top of Teddy’s blond hair peeking from under the bright blue comforter. Draco smiled at his cousin’s sleeping form. After years of talking about it, Andromeda had finally caved and joined her walking group for the excursion they had been planning. She was in the middle of touring the Cotswold Gardens and that meant Draco and Teddy would explore Muggle London together. They had visited the zoo yesterday, and had plans to relax at Holland Park. They were both looking forward to seeing the peacocks. He and Teddy talked about it at length last night. If any of the peacocks looked at them funny, they were going to make a run for it. Those birds may look majestic, but his childhood had proved just how mean (and fast) those feathered bastards could be. It had been a while since Draco went into the city and these planned trips were getting him excited.

The peaceful morning came to an end with the trilling of his mobile. Draco glared at the offending gadget before picking it up from where he left it on the counter. “I have the week off, remember?”

“Drake! Thank goodness you’re up!” Tracy exhaled. “I know, but I’m dying here! Mitch didn’t show up, isn’t answering his phone. Mark isn’t picking up and neither is Gemma. And Amanda already said she’s not feeling well so she can’t come in. I’m the only one here and we open in an hour.”

His first response would’ve been to tell her it wasn’t his problem. He filed his leave correctly. He swapped days to make sure he got a full week for Teddy. It wasn’t his fault Mitch decided to be a twat and leave their manager high and dry.

But he liked Tracy. She showed patience in the face of his ignorance and ineptitude. Sure, he could’ve done with a lot less snarking, but she hadn’t fired him. She gave him a place to safely find his footing when he left the wizarding world, while at the same time giving him a wage that supported his junk food and vino needs.

He sighed. “I wish I could help, but—”

“I’ll pay you double,” she cut in desperately. “We have that poetry thing tomorrow and I need someone to stay in front while I get things ready. Please, Drake!”

“Tracy, I would help you, you know I would if I could. But I have Teddy with me this week. I can’t possibly leave him at home. There are laws against it.” And he did not want to trust his little charge to some stranger.

They had an understanding, Draco and Teddy. He could visit his cousin in Muggle London only if he followed the rules. The little guy knew he wasn’t supposed to talk about magic when he was with Draco. It took practice and discipline, but he didn’t change his appearance at will. Draco missed seeing Teddy’s moods reflected on his hair and appearance, but the chance of being discovered increased the more Teddy displayed his metamorphmagus skill.

“Bring your kid to the store, I don’t care. Just please say you’ll be here.”

Draco paused. Teddy might be disappointed about missing the peacocks, but they could go tomorrow. And maybe he could pick out a book instead. “Half-day. I don’t care if Mitch or anybody else doesn’t show up. We’re only staying until lunch.”

The women at the other end of the line sighed. “How ‘bout ‘til three? I’ll throw in lunch for you and the little munchkin. I made peach cobbler last night. I’ll bring some for Teddy.”

Draco grinned. He knew Tracy and the others gossiped about him and Teddy. Nobody really believed that the friendly blond boy they see with him was his cousin. The consensus was a love child (possibly the reason he was disinherited), but aside snide quips from Mitch (the Twat) his co-workers at the bookstore always welcomed Teddy with a smile and usually, some type of sweet. “I have to get Teddy up, but please make sure you have some for me as well.”

Tracy thanked him one more time before hanging up. He pocketed his phone and made his way to the kitchen. He may have been promised lunch and dessert, but with a four-year-old, it’s always better to come prepared. It was never a good idea to leave the house without at least a pack of crackers and some juice boxes.

++++

The store was deserted. Aside from him and Teddy, there was no one else at the book store. Teddy had not been too happy to be woken up early. The news that they would have to postpone their trip to Holland Park was met with a disappointed nod, accompanied by a slight pout.

If he didn’t know better Draco would have thrown himself prostate on the floor, asking for forgiveness and making amends. But while he knew the boy was disappointed, he wasn’t _that_ disappointed when he found out they would be spending it at the bookstore. The few instances they dropped by the bookstore Teddy had always been treated like a visiting rock star. His co-workers fell all over themselves to fawn over him and pinch his chubby cheeks. And he always went home with a new book.

Was he spoiling Teddy? Maybe, but he couldn’t help himself. What he wouldn’t have done for a hug, a show of affection, in his childhood. He wanted Teddy to know how much Draco loved him, no matter what.

Andromeda and Teddy were his only family. The handful of French Malfoys he knew about, he did not know personally. And they never reached out to him, before or after his disinheritance. For all intents and purposes, Andromeda and Teddy were all he had.

“Still good, Teds?”

The four-year-old barely looked up from where he was coloring on the other side of the counter as he raised on hand to give a thumbs-up. They had arrived at the bookstore to a frazzled-looking Tracy. She greeted Teddy with a pinched cheek and a lollipop. Draco she shoved toward the door to the front of the store. He would’ve been irritated, but he saw the spot she arranged for Teddy.

She had set up one of the tables near the checkout counter with coloring books and crayons. She even had a can of soda waiting for Teddy. That he had to confiscate. Andromeda would skin him alive if he got him addicted to carbonated drinks. (It was an addiction he himself was battling—how could wizards have lived without Coke and Fanta?)

Customers had been sparse since opening. Tracy remained busy coordinating last minute details for the Poetry Slam the bookstore had scheduled for tomorrow. A local writing group was publishing a collection of poems and they were set to read some pieces, but apparently there was some friction about reading order as other writers wanted to crash the event. Some had stopped answering calls in a snit.

He checked his watch. Ten minutes to three. Aside from the lone browser before lunch, his shift had been uneventful. It wouldn’t have mattered if Tracy had closed the store. Nobody came in to buy a book, or even coffee. That, Draco found out of the ordinary. They didn’t have a Costa in their corner of St. Albans so they usually saw their fair share of customers who needed caffeine to greet the day.

Draco joined Teddy on his table and leaned in to look at his latest artwork. “What are you drawing there, Teddy?”

The boy paused coloring to show him the picture he was drawing. There were two stick figures standing next to a brown and yellow figure. Since the taller stick figure at yellow hair, matching the little stick figure, he figured it was him and Teddy. He squinted at what was next to a tree. “Is that the giraffe from yesterday?”

“It’s Mollie,” Teddy grinned. “Can we see her again tomorrow?”

“I thought you wanted to see the peacocks?”

“After,” Teddy insisted. “I feed her again.”

_Those Muggle were certainly on to something when they opened the zoo_ , Draco thought, recalling the price for meeting and feeding the giraffes. Of course children wouldn’t be satisfied with just looking at the animals. They wanted to pet and feed them, too. And of course those weren’t included in the admission fee. Not that he objected to seeing the peculiar animal again. Were their necks supposed to be that long?

“Sure. Let’s visit the penguins too.” He ruffled Teddy hair, mussing the blond locks. His cousin made a face at him. “Don’t mess my hair!”

Draco chuckled and ruffled his hair again, making sure to mess it up more. Teddy growled in irritation and tried to retaliate, but his arms were too short. He tried to jump on him to reach his hair. Draco caught his arms and sat with the boy on his lap. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll stop, I promise.” He released his arms to straighten the flaxen strands. Teddy submitted to his ministrations for a minute them squirmed to be released. “All right. Let me finish here then we’ll go home and watch a movie. Is that acceptable?”

“ _Lilo and Stitch_?”

“Sure, kid.” If Teddy picked his favorite Disney movie, well, that was between Draco and his DVD player. Nobody had to know how much he teared up whenever Stich talked about his ohana.

The bookstore was still empty when they said goodbye to Tracy. Draco might’ve felt a smidge guilty since no one else showed up for their shift. But if the day’s trend continued, Tracy wouldn’t have to deal with a lot of customers anyway. He had already put a dent on the stocks that arrived the other day, so ideally, she could take it easy.

She waved from the front of the store when they drove by. Draco lowered the passenger’s side to wave back then glanced to where Teddy was settled in his car seat. He usually walked to work, but since he had Teddy with him, he didn’t want to lug everything necessary for a happy four-year-old. It only took three times to be covered in baby vomit before he started bringing clothes to change into for both him and Teddy. And nobody wanted to be trapped with a yowling boy who cried as if he had not been fed in weeks because the crackers he brought were _not the honey bunny kind, Dray, NOOOOooooo_.

He had only been driving for less than a year, but he was still as cautious as when he began receiving driving lessons from Amy. Those six weeks certainly took years off his life. Fortunately, he managed to pass the test and obtain his driver’s license. And despite Pansy’s insinuation of a well-placed _Confundo_ , it was all aboveboard. He _did_ have to go out for drinks with the bloke who supervised the last part of the test, but that was neither here nor there. What can he say, the man admired the way Draco handled the stick.

The road was thankfully clear, which gave him a slight pause. There was usually more traffic on the streets this time of the day. Was today another Muggle holiday he didn’t know about? But Tracy hadn’t mentioned anything about it. Wednesday was hump day, for a reason, sure, but it was a little disconcerting to find the world seemingly empty and a little too quiet.

They finally reached their street and Draco hit the button to open the garage. He was almost done backing into the garage when someone streaked past the car then stopped. Draco jumped in his seat when Pansy’s hands slammed into the hood of his RAV4. “Shite!”

“Bad word,” Teddy very helpfully commented from the backseat.

Pansy stared at him through the windshield before dashing into the garage. As soon as the front cleared the door, she started jumped for the garage doors. He turned off the engine and hit the button to close the doors. “Looks like Pansy decided to join us, Teds.” Pansy continued to pull the doors down, seemingly not satisfied with the speed it was closing. “And it looks like she may have lapsed to day drinking. Again,” he mumbled.

He stepped out of the car and walked toward his friend. “Pans?” He had to turn her head to face him. Her eyes were wide and her hair was dishelmed. “Pansy, are you quite all right? I thought you said you’d rather slit your wrist that join Teddy and me at the park.”

“Th-they just..Merlin, Draco. They just..just..” She shook her head and then threw her arms around him. “Oh, Merlin. Draco. I don’t know what happened. I didn’t know what to do-where to go—I-I,” she faltered. Tears began filling her eyes. “They went _mad_.”

“It’s okay, we’ll figure it out,” Draco said, pulling her to his side and rubbing soothing circles on her back. “Why don’t we go inside and you can tell me about it? Let me get Teddy and we’ll talk.”

She nodded, though she kept close to him as he freed his cousin from his car seat. He decided to leave their things in the car for now. Pansy reached for Teddy. He was too big to still be carried, but he allowed the indignity as she held him tight.

“S’okay, Pansy, s’okay,” the boy murmured, patting her head as they made their way to the house through the connecting door to the kitchen.

Draco directed them to seat in the living room while he got the kettle going. No matter what happened, it can’t be something a cup of tea couldn’t improve.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the lovely comments and kudos. See you next chapter! :)


End file.
